Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2012-03-14-Speech-3-524-000"
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"en.20120314.27.3-524-000"2
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"Mr President, Commissioner, I must start my speech by condemning the violence that has been taking place in Nigeria over the last few months. Nigeria is the most populous country in Africa and the one that has the best prospects for economic growth and for attracting foreign investment. Its position as an oil-exporting nation allows it to acquire substantial resources, which should be used in the vital task of fighting the poverty and inequality that blight the country.
Commissioner, as we in the Committee on Development have maintained on many occasions, human rights, democracy and development have a synergistic relationship of mutual reinforcement. At the root of the conflict in which Nigeria is embroiled lies the absolute poverty in which a large proportion of the population lives. The nation’s wealth is not being redistributed amongst the lowest levels of the population, and this is making millions of Nigerians vulnerable, with no access to the most basic services.
The European Union, by way of its cooperation and development policies, can make a real difference in this country. We must focus our common strategy on the fight against poverty through the provision of basic services, such as health and education, for the most vulnerable. The value added by the European Union in this country should, without doubt, be to achieve a reduction in inequality and to turn the growth that the country is experiencing into increasingly fewer people living in extreme poverty.
We should be wary, however, because we now know better than ever before that our cooperation policy will not be enough. We have to strive for consistency in the European Union’s other policies vis-à-vis Nigeria. I also want to stress the importance of transparency and responsibility amongst European companies operating in the country.
I would like to conclude, Commissioner, by mentioning a very serious risk that threatens Nigeria and the whole region of West Africa and the Sahel. The very prolonged drought, poor harvests, lack of livestock, and the rise, once again, in the price of food are now hinting that a famine in the region is imminent. United Nations agencies and civil society organisations are already declaring famine. We must react in time and deal with this famine before it claims more victims in this region."@en1
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